Dietary patterns in infancy are associated with child diet and weight outcomes at 6 years.

OBJECTIVE
To assess whether patterns of dietary exposures at 9 months are associated with child diet and weight at 6 years.

METHODS
Data for this study were from the Infant Feeding Practices Study II and Year 6 Follow-Up Studies. All data were self-reported monthly. Results of a previous latent class analysis revealed 5 dietary patterns varying in milk and solid food intake. These 5 infant dietary patterns were used in the current study to predict child diet and weight outcomes at 6 years, while controlling for confounding variables.

RESULTS
Infants with dietary patterns higher in fruits and vegetable intake at 9 months had higher fruit and vegetable intake at 6 years. Similarly, infants with the dietary pattern characterized by foods high in energy density (i.e. French Fries and sweet desserts) continued to have higher consumption of these foods at 6 years, and had a higher prevalence of overweight at 6 years (43%) compared to the other classes. Formula-fed infants had higher SSB intake and fewer met the dietary guidelines for fruit and vegetable intake at 6 years than breastfed infants, controlling for factors such as income.

CONCLUSIONS
Early decisions about milk-feeding, and the types of solid foods offered in infancy can foreshadow dietary patterns and obesity risk later in childhood. Infants who were offered energy dense foods had higher intake of these foods at 6 years of age..